subject: History Of Sonography In The United States [print this page] Although most people know what an ultrasound is, few people are aware of the history of sonography in the United States. Most of us have a basic understanding of what ultrasonography, also known as diagnostic sonography, is used for. It is a technique that produces images of internal organs, muscles, joints, tendons, vessels and other subcutaneous body structures for diagnostic purposes. Most people also know what obstetric sonography is: a type of sonography used during pregnancy to capture images of the inside of the female patients pelvic region. This diagnostic procedure, the sonogram, is widely and commonly used today in the United States during a womans pregnancy, but it was not always the case.
The roots of sonography in the United States can be traced back to the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland during the late 1940s. This is when Dr. George Ludwig first applied ultrasonic energy to a human patient for medical purposes. In 1949, Englishman John Wild was the first to use an ultrasound to assess the thickness of bowel tissue, which was somehow more memorable. He is still known as the father of medical ultrasound and highly respected in the medical community.
Not much happened to advance ultrasound technology in the following decade, but in 1962 the first compound contact B-mode scanner was developed. Ralph Joseph Holmes spent two years working on the project at the University of Colorado with additional support from the United States Public Health Services. In 1963, after further developing the technology, Meyerdirk and Wright left academic life to launch the first commercial hand-held articulated arm compound contact B-mode scanner through their company, Physionic Engineering Inc.
The final most important development in the history of sonography in the United States was the first demonstration of color Doppler by Geoff Stevenson, which revolutionized the medical capabilities of this technology. Stevenson was heavily involved in the early developments and medical use of Doppler-shifted ultrasonic energy, and this form of the technology is often attributed to him.
There have been many other advancements in sonography around the world, but many of the most important discoveries and developments regarding this technology were made right here in the United States.
